Improvement in traction-engines



HANSCOM' improvement in Traction'Engine N0.124,574. Patented March12,1872.

v Witnesses Inventor WILLIAM WALLACE HANSCOM, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN TRACTION-ENGINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 124,574, dated March 12, 1872.

I SPEoIFIcATIoN.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM WALLACE HANSOOM, of San Francisco, county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Traction-Engines, and I do hereby declare the following description and accompanying drawing are sufficient to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which it most nearly appertains to make and use my said invention or improvements without further invention or experiment.

My invention relates to improvements in applying power to the wheels of steam traction-engines and carriages, by which I am enabled to dispense with internal gearing, and apply the power by means of cranks directly to the traction or bearing wheels; and it consists in the employment of a hydraulic cylinder, suitabl y connected with a crank or cranks, which are rigidly fixed to the wheel center or hub.

The hydraulic cylinders are operated by one or more steam-pumps which are connected with the boiler, the entire improvement necessitating changes in the construction of the machine more fully illustrated below, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents a side elevation. Fig. 2 is a plan. Fig. 3 is a plan of the pumps.

The frame A of the machine is tubular, and serves as a tank for containing water to feed the boiler. B is the boiler, and C C the bean ving or traction wheels. For each wheel I employ two cylinders, d d,which should be placed at such an angle to each other and to the wheel center as to avoid the dead-points of the crank. The pumps which I prefer to employ in this connection are constructed each with one steam-cylinder, c, and two water-cyL inders, f f, as shown at Fig. 3. The watercylinders f f are connected with each other, and suitable means provided for opening and closing the communication between them, so that either one or both may be used at the same time, as required. Rigidly fixed to the hubs of the bearing-wheels C are cranks g 9, set with reference to the operating water-cylinders, and so as to avoid the dead-point; and each of these cranks is connected with the piston-rods h of one of the water-cylinders by a pitman, i, so that the wheel will be driven by the movements of the piston.

If considerable traction force should be required without speed, it will only be necessary to operate one of the water-cylinders by means of the steam-pump; but if it is desired to obtain speed without any considerable degree of traction-power, bot-h pumps may be set to work, and by forcing double the quantity of water into the pressure-cylinders double the speed of machine.

Instead of employing the cranks g,dif1erential gearing may be applied to the hub or center of the wheel, and the pitman, which is operated from the pressure-cylinder, connected with the gearing.

By this means of applying power to the wheels of steam traction-wagons, I gain substantial advantages over the ordinary method.

The connecting parts can be made of any required strength, so that there will be no danger of breaking parts of the machinery, and no chance for anything to get out of gear.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The pump above described, consisting of the steam-cylinder e and water-cylindersf f, connected as described, for the purpose specified.

2. Driving the wheels C by means of the steam-cylinder 6, one or more water-pressure cylinders f, pitman t, and crank g, substantially as above described.

3. The tubular frame A, when employed as a water-tank, in combination with the boiler B, substantially as above specified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal.

WM. WALLACE HANSCOM. [L.s.]

Witnesses:

JOHN L. BOONE, A. T. DEWEY. 

